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You Need These Visual Elements For New Blog Launches

July 30, 2020 by Simplifying DIY Design Leave a Comment

Visual Elements For New Blog Launches – what do you need?

This is a question I get asked a lot! So in this article, I want to go over what I truly believe to be the graphic elements you need for your brand new blog (and what you don’t).

Love Canva Templates? Click here for access to our free design library!

Let me start by saying my opinion might differ from every single graphic design blog you might come across but I’m ok with it.

When I was a new blogger I was so overwhelmed with the number of voices out there and how they were all saying different things.

I get the frustration, I promise I do.

But that’s also how I learned whose ideas I wanted to follow and learn from, so here it goes!

Creating a Brand As a New Blogger

Now, most designers might tell you that you should hire a designer for an amazing logo and brand kit to get started.

You’ll answer questions about your mission and messaging in order to create this beautiful brand with the perfect colors and fonts.

My question is: how do you know that’s your true brand?

The first place to start, is by taking The 5 Minute Brand. It includes awesome templates to help you develop a beautiful brand for your blog.

Fun fact! My very first blog was “shifted focus” 3 times before I was comfortable with who I was speaking to and what I was writing about.

I didn’t know much about blogging when I first started so it took me a while to really find my “lane”.

So, here’s the brutally honest truth: if you’re so new that you have:

Less than 20 blog posts written
Little idea of “who” you’re speaking to (your avatar) and why you want to help them
Little idea of how to blog as a business (like how you’ll monetize, what an email list is, etc)
No email list (you’re using a RSS feed instead of an email list)

Then I recommend a completely simple DIY approach to your brand.

This is something that should take you no more than 2 days to do and then I don’t want you to touch it at all.

New bloggers sometimes spend weeks on tweaking their brand so it’s perfect.

Then they go back a few weeks later to tweak again.

Your colors and fonts are not what’s going to set you up for success.

Determining your avatar and creating content (blog posts and freebies) will!

Investing time and energy into actually learning how to make money with your blog will go further than investing money into a web design or brand specialist.

If you’re that brand new blogger, here’s what I recommend: create a basic text logo and then start writing!

Write, write, write! Write blog posts, learn about email lists (I use and love convertkit) and write a welcome nurture sequence. Write content for freebies so you can grow your list.

Just start writing.

And no, I don’t recommend keeping your blog private or hidden in any way- likely no one will find it anyway until you start actively promoting it.

What About New, But Not BRAND NEW Bloggers?

Ok, NOW is when I recommend getting a little more involved with design!

You have a blog set up, you have a good amount of pillar posts written, and you have set up your email service provider.

Now you have some great content to promote. You might even have your first freebie to start growing your email list with.

Now is when you may want to invest in design services. That being said, I understand that design services can be quite expensive.

At this point, people may be seeing some growth but they may not be making a ton of money yet.

So hiring a designer to create a logo for $250-500 or a branded website for $1000-1500 is just not possible.

This is why most bloggers at this stage go the template route since you can get the same (or similar- depending on how you edit it, of course) quality of design.

But you’re editing them yourself which brings the cost way down and the designs are so flexible and can be used over and over for just about anything.

So What Designs Should Be Prioritized At This Stage?

This is the million-dollar question! Here’s what I recommend when you’ve got your foundation set and you’re ready for promotion of your blog:

A set of colors and fonts that you use over and over on your site and in your designs (a basic brand. Note: I have a free brand board in my design library you can use)
Social media headers for all your platforms (you can set up your platforms but start really getting serious growing just one at a time to avoid overwhelm)
Pin images for all of your blog posts (recommended size: 1000x1500px)
Facebook images for all your blog posts (recommended size for images posted directly to Facebook or used for ads: 1080x1080px, for images uploaded to your Yoast or Rank Math plugin: 1200x628px)
Featured image for all your blog posts (size varies depending on your theme)
A set of 2-3 graphics that specifically promote your lead magnet so you can use them on Facebook and Pinterest to send people directly to your opt-in page
Design of the actual lead magnet
At this point, you may want to invest in a quality paid WordPress theme (still much cheaper than hiring a designer for a custom website) and if that theme requires images such as category graphics, etc then you’ll want to set that up appropriately.

If you’re looking for the ultimate hack for creating a brand you love, check out the Five Minute Brand! With over 40+ logos and done-for-you, ready to customize brands, you’ll be able to create a brand that’s perfectly you in just minutes! Not only does it have logos and brand boards, but it also include templates for all the other graphics you need for branding your blog, email newsletter, and more!

As You Grow Your Blog, Your Design Priorities Will Shift

Maybe you’ll start a podcast and you’ll need graphics for that. Maybe you’ll start designing digital products and lead magnets.

Maybe you’ll start getting more active on various social media platforms and doing stories.

==> If you’re looking for templates for all these things, check out The Complete Blogger Template Toolkit!

You don’t have to be everywhere at once when you get started. You don’t have to nail down your design or have everything perfect before you hit publish, you just need to start writing.

Once you have that foundation- you can go back to the design but still be strategic about how you spend your time inside of Canva.

Your logo probably doesn’t need to be tweaked…but designing a new lead magnet?

THAT time is well spent.

Spend your time creating designs that will bring you the most amount of growth in the least amount of time.

Then, when you’re making a good income- you can rebrand with a custom website and refined logo, etc.

By that time, you’ll know your avatar inside and out and you’ll know exactly what message you want your brand to convey.

You will have likely shifted and clarified your message over and over and now you’re comfortable with exactly who you are in this online space.

This is when you’ll want to invest in that branding package or website design.

Until then, remember that everything can be changed and what really matters, in the beginning, is that you just get started!

Want to get started with Canva templates?

My Design Library has over 40+ FREE Canva templates for you! Just click the button below to get started!

CLICK HERE TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE FREE DESIGN LIBRARY NOW!

Want to remember this post later? Pin it to your favorite board!

How To Create A Flip Graphic in Canva To Promote Your Digital Product Or Lead Magnet

July 16, 2020 by Simplifying DIY Design 4 Comments

This is a tutorial post to show you exactly how to create an amazing promotional flip graphic in Canva using their animation feature!

This can be done in Canva Pro or Free Canva!

I love flip graphics! It’s such an amazing and attention-grabbing way to show off your digital products, including your lead magnets.

In case you’re wondering exactly what a “flip graphic” is… it looks like this:

You can do this easily using Canva – either free or pro version. Currently, this feature is in Beta so new features and tools may be added or removed from the GIF settings.

Let’s jump right in!

Step One: Create Your Graphic

You’ll start by creating a graphic that shows off one page (or the cover) of your product. You can also use a template, of course.

In case you’re wondering, my DIYDesign Creators Vault contains new promotional graphics every single month! For this example, the template I’m using was from the March drop.

Find out how you can use Canva to easily create animated flip graphics for free! This is a great way to promote your digital products, lead magnets, and more!

Anyway, regardless of if you use a template or not, your design should be completed and showing off your product in some way before moving to the next step.

You could use an iPad or e-reader device to show off pages of a workbook or you can use a computer screen. Get creative!

Step Two: Duplicate the Page as Many Times as You Need

Again, it’s important you get that first image exactly how you want it because the next pages need to be an exact duplicate.

Duplicate the page as many times as you need by selecting the “copy page” option.

Step Three: Swap Out The Page On Each Image

Each “page” of the design should be an exact copy except for the page being featured on the image.

You can even replace the pages with some words if you’d like.

Once you have each page completed, it’ll look something like this:

Notice how each page is exactly the same except for the image on the screen.

Download your project as a GIF

You’ll select the download option and choose “GIF” this way it’ll automatically flip through all the pages on repeat.

Your final project should look like this:

NOTE: Currently there is no way to increase the speed of the GIF inside of Canva. You will notice when you download the GIF- it moves extremely slow.

There IS a way to increase the speed though! Just go to EZ GIF Speed Changer and upload your GIF from Canva. Then, you’ll see your GIF on the page and below it you’ll be able to adjust the speed. I chose 500% of the current speed for this image.

Once you click “Change speed” you’ll notice a preview of it below.

You can add or decrease the percentage until you get the desired speed you want.

Once you like it, scroll below the preview and click on “Save” – the file should automatically download to your computer.

Video Tutorial!

Want to watch how it’s done in video? Check it out below!

If you’d like to check out my YouTube channel, click here!

Attention-grabbing graphics in just a few steps!

Flip graphics make great ads, images on a sales page, social media promotion and so much more. You can even create ads to promote your products and lead magnets!

I hope you have fun creating these, they are one of my favorite graphics to create!

If you want to try out our templates, please remember to sign up for access to our free design library where we have templates, tutorials, and design resources! Just click here to get access!

CLICK HERE TO GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE DESIGN LIBRARY!

Creating Video Content To Get More Traffic To Your Blog (With Less Effort!)

July 6, 2020 by Simplifying DIY Design Leave a Comment

In this article, you will learn how creating video content can get more traffic to your blog so you grow your blog faster! One of the best ways right now to expand your written content is by creating VIDEO content but it doesn’t end with the video itself.

Let’s talk about the ways to visually promote your video so you maximize your growth in less time and effort!

So many people think that when they’ve said something once, everyone’s heard it. That isn’t the case at all!

I think it’s a common misconception that if you “repeat” yourself then you’ll end up annoying people. The honest truth is that even if you put the same piece of content on social media, your newsletter, and a blog post: it’s unlikely the same people are going to see it.

What’s much more likely to happen is that MORE eyes are going to see it, giving you amply opportunity to be “everywhere at once” with much less effort.

And let’s face it, it’s exhausting to constantly try to figure out new things to say on every single platform.

You don’t have to copy and paste the whole thing, you can take bits and pieces or expand on it in different ways. Stagger the posts so it spreads over a week and BAM you have a week worth of content!

For example, once you’ve written a blog post, you can go live about the topic of that post. Then, you can take that video and embed it on your blog, share on social media, and create visual promotions like video pins, stories, and so much more.

You’re everywhere all at once with much less effort than thinking of something new to say on every single platform, every single day. Talk about burnout!

Why is creating video content so important?

Video popularity has been increasing dramatically over the past few years and it’s becoming more and more important on every platform! For bloggers, this gives us opportunity to attract traffic from:

Facebook
Pinterest
Youtube
Instagram
TikTok

And now more than ever, these platforms are pushing video between Facebook lives, stories, IGTV, and now story pins on Pinterest!

Video is the way the world is moving and as bloggers, it’s important to understand how we can use this to leverage our blog.

Want to save this post for later? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest Board!

Find out how to get more traffic to your blog by simply creating video content and promoting it with a visual strategy that gets more clicks, email subscribers, and sales! Plus find out how to save time designing these promotional graphics!!

Video strategy for your blog

When I first started my blog, I knew my goal was to grow my list to 1000 subscribers in the first 3 months.

I did many things to get to this goal but one of the best things I did was a weekly Facebook live. I usually talked about a topic that I had a freebie for and my call to action at the end of the live was for people to download the freebie.

I would then write a blog post about the topic of the live and embed my Facebook live video in the post. This also helped grow my Facebook pixel for when I was ready to run ads because every view counted towards my Facebook pixel.

Video was also a great way to connect with the audience I had at the time. It really helped develop a relationship and connection which meant even if my audience was small, it was engaged and ready to convert when I launched my first digital product.

Anyway, back then there were no video pins or IGTV so I didn’t really do much else with video but now there are SO many options. Let’s talk about the different ways we can repurpose video content so that we maximize our time and our results!

Start with any video you want: live or pre-recorded

At this time in my life, pre-recorded is much easier than trying to find a quiet time to do a live video. My kids used to nap, but not anymore. And with school being out, the time is even more limited.

Whatever you are more comfortable with, just start with any video: a live video or prerecorded.

Then you’ll want to upload it on all of your social platforms and inside of a new or old (but relevant) blog post.

Side note: You can also start with an already written blog post and create a video for it as well. I sometimes do this as a way to refresh the post.

Now comes the fun part, it’s time to get visual and get more eyes on it!

Create an Instagram story graphic

You can use Canva to create an Instagram story graphic and add a snippet of your video to the image. You can see how I’ve done this below under the Pinterest Story section of the post.

Upload it to Instagram and Facebook stories and have people go to your blog post (or YouTube) to watch the full video.

Note: Most people tend to view stories with the sound OFF so be sure to add captions (either word for word on the video itself or add short recaps of what you’re saying inside instagram on each slide).

In case you’re wondering how to add word-for-word captions to your videos- you can do this right inside Facebook! Click here for the Facebook support page that contains instructions on adding captions.

You’ll download your video after the captions are added and use that as the video you upload to other platforms and use on your promotional graphics.

Create a Video pin

Choose a snippet of your video that is a minimum of 4 seconds and a maximum of 15 seconds long and create a video pin on Pinterest that links to your blog post.

So often we catch soaked into some sped-up video of a recipe or craft which is GREAT for food and craft bloggers. But what if you don’t have a food or craft blog? What other video could you do? Here are some ideas:

Add a video to your video pin that just relates to the topic of your post like you would a stock photo. You can search Canva and other sites like Depositphotos for stock videos.
Create a quick video for a list post that shows off 1-3 items from your list and instructs people to visit the post for more. I love Animoto for creating videos like this!
Create a recording of your screen and scroll through a product or opt-in you’ve created. Loom is a free tool for Mac and PC users that helps you record your screen.
Create a short video of how something works (likely a product or an affiliate product that your post talks about)
Create a video of yourself or repurpose some of your Facebook live (with captions) and use that on your pin!

Did you know I have 5 FREE video pin templates in my free design library? You can click here for access now!

Create a Story Pin! Here are step-by-step instructions for creating a story pin!

Take that video pin and duplicate it so there are multiple pins and choose different snippets for each pin. Each story should be under 20 seconds long.

So, for example if you have a list post, you can choose a video for a few of the different things you’re talking about. If you’re teaching the steps of a project or recipe you can choose a video snip from each step.

You can also use any of the suggestions above as well.

Upload them to Pinterest stories by following these instructions:

First, you’ll click on “Create” and choose “Create a Story Pin”

Then, you’ll upload the designs you created. You will see below that I created a set of story pins using Canva. I used templates from the Mega Pin Creators Bundle and dragged in a video on each of them except the last one. The last one is my call to action and contains a stock photo related to the topic of the video.

Once you’ve uploaded your first story, you can customize how you want and even add text overlays inside of Pinterest.

You’ll click on the plus sign to add the other videos for the story:

When you’ve finished uploading the story pins, you’ll see them all on the left side. You can choose each one and edit it, resize it, add text, change the background color, or adjust it however you need to.

Then you’ll click “Next” in the bottom right. On the next screen, you’ll be able to add any details such as ingredients, materials, or items from your list post.

Click on “next” for the final step! You’ll be able to add a title, select any of your boards you’d like to add it to, and add tags to help get it in front of the right audience. Be sure to use keywords in your title, be mindful about the boards you post to (make sure they are relevant) and choose appropriate tags!

Finally, hit publish and you’re done!

Create a video graphic for Instagram and Facebook

I like to do a square-size video image for both Facebook and Instagram. Squares take up more space on the screen than horizontal images so they are more likely to be noticed in the feed.

While you will likely add the original video to these platforms (and IGTV) – it MAY not get watched if the headline or copy goes unnoticed. However, if you create a beautiful promo image with a snippet of the video – people will be more likely to go back and watch the full video.

Think of it as the trailer for a movie- you get the highlights that make you want more. This is what your promo image should be!

Here’s an example of the difference between what these videos look like: Which one grabs your attention more?

Don’t forget that then DIY Design Creators Vault contains video pins and new promo Canva templates every single month! Click here to learn more about my monthly designs. Spoiler alert: this template was from the June template drop!

There are so many ways to make the most of just ONE video for maximum results

Video is going to be bigger and stronger than ever- how you use it is important and the WAY you use it can be all the difference between hearing crickets and massive growth.

Remember, while this may seem like “extra steps” — creating video content doesn’t have to be hard– most of it can be repurposed! You’re starting with ONE video and using snippets to create visual, attention-grabbing promotional graphics!

Start with one video (live or pre-recorded) – add captions and upload as-is to all your platforms including IGTV
Create a video pin using a snippet of that video
Duplicate your video pin and break it down into a “story” series
Use those story pins for Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest
Optionally, create a square video graphic to promote on your Facebook and IG feed
Remember, if your video is pre-launch-related or to a highly monetized post, you can always boost it via paid ads for even more reach!

Are you making the most of the videos you create? I get that design can be an “extra step” which is why I love creating templates for people to use! It takes the time and frustration out of the design and helps you get your content out to the world FASTER so that you can get back to the blogging tasks you love!

Don’t forget to grab my 5 free video pin templates now! Just sign up for my free design library for instant access! Click the button below to get started!

GET 5 FREE CANVA VIDEO PIN TEMPLATES NOW

6 Easy Canva Design Tips + Tricks Every Blogger Should Know About

June 17, 2020 by Simplifying DIY Design 15 Comments

Are you ready to learn some amazing game-changing Canva hacks? These tips and tricks will save you so much time and help make designing in Canva easier than ever!!

Want to skip the reading and get my Canva Tips Cheatsheet? Click right here to download the cheatsheet located in our Design Vault!

You’ll get instant access to this cheatsheet along with FREE design templates, tutorials, and other tools to help with design!

GET ACCESS TO THE CANVA TRICKS CHEATSHEET!

Canva can be an amazing design tool for any online business owner.

However, when I first started using Canva I felt really limited. I remember making a babysitter info printable and I just wanted to make a simple LINE that didn’t have any fancy things on the end of it.. just a simple line!

Over the years I’ve come up with tons of tricks for Canva and since then I’ve been able to create everything from full workbooks, journals, course slide decks, and so much more using this tool.

No more feelings of limitations!

It just takes a little creative thinking!

I have an awesome audience of people that love Canva and a great Facebook group of bloggers invested in mastering their design skills.

The benefit of this is I know when people have frequent questions about how to do certain things!

This post is about the most COMMON questions I get about designing in Canva and the tricks for making the program even easier to use and more versatile for any blogger 🙂

Trick #1: Copy and Paste

This is easily the most common thing that’s asked: how do you copy and paste between different designs.

Copy and paste is probably the single most often used keyboard shortcut that I use.

I use it ALL THE TIME and it makes my life so much easier.

I often have multiple tabs open on my browser and I’m copying and pasting from tab to tab. This helps me save time and stay consistent with my designs.

Anyway, copying and pasting is super easy.

First, you just click off to the side and drag your mouse over whatever you want to copy.

Note: If you accidentally select more objects than you meant to, you can hold the shift key down and click on anything you want to de-select.

Then, use your keyboard shortcuts for copy (Ctrl/Command+C).

Next, open whatever document you want to be able to paste this into.

You can also paste it in the same document (on the same, or different, pages).

I do this a lot when I’m creating a workbook so that I can keep the border, layout, and headers consistent. This also helps me design much faster.

To paste, simply use your keyboard shortcuts again (Ctrl/Command+V).

Super simple!

If you don’t want to use keyboard shortcuts, you can also right-click your mouse to open up a menu that has copy and paste options.

Also, the header templates in that picture example are available for free in our Design Vault along with a bunch of other Canva templates and design tools. Just click here for instant access!

Related Post: Best Canva Features for Editing Templates

Trick #2: Downloading just one page

I usually get this question most when it comes to my social media templates such as my pin templates (side note: there are FREE pin templates located in the Design Library!). This also comes in handy when you want to save a cover of a workbook separately as a jpg so that you can re-upload it into Canva for mockup images or if you want to upload it to a cover generator like “my ecover maker”. Either way, this is another really easy trick!

Simply look to the right of the page (or pin) that you want to download to find the “page number”.

Once you find that number, click on “download” and then type in the number of the page to download (see below)

Interested in social media templates? Like I said, there are pin templates, Facebook image templates, instagram templates and so much more located inside the Design Library.

Plus, you can find pin templates in our DiyDesign Creators Vault (Canva only), The Mega Pin Creator Bundle (Canva + PicMonkey), or The Complete Blogger Template Toolkit (Canva + PicMonkey), AND you can also find even more pin templates in both Canva + Adobe Photoshop format in my Graphic Design Workshop.

Trick #3: Selecting an object BEHIND another object without moving it out of the way

This one is a game-changer for SO many people (it was for me!).

Have you ever tried to click on something and there’s a text box or object in the way and you end up clicking the wrong thing? Yeah, you’re not alone.

But there’s a super simple trick for this and it’s one of the many tricks I cover in my Confidently Canva course but I’ll let you in on it here…

The command key! (or ctrl key for PC users)

Simply click on the object. If something else gets selected, hold down the command (or ctrl) key and click again (WHILE holding that key). This will select the object that’s behind that first object.

If the one you’re trying to select is way in the back, you might have to keep holding command (or ctrl) and clicking. Each time you click while holding that key, it’s going to select the next object in the back.

Check out this video demonstration of my favorite Canva Tips and Tricks (it’s so much easier to show than to explain!)

Trick #4: Moving objects just a teeny tiny bit

I get this question a LOT in regards to positioning text just right so that it’s perfectly lined up.

When you move the text boxes around with your mouse sometimes it’s hard to get it just right.

But if you click just outside of the text box, you’ll notice that there’s a little cross arrow that looks like this:

When that symbol appears, click again. You’ll know it worked because you will not be able to type in that text box anymore.

Note: This is only necessary when trying to move a text box. If you want to move a shape or other object, you only need to click once.

Finally, use your arrow keys on your keyboard to move the object to just 1px. It’s incredibly easy to get it lined up just right doing it that way!

Side note: you can also hold down the shift key and use the arrow keys if you want to move the object 10px.

You can go back to that video in the previous tip and watch me do this at 09:08.

Trick #5: Adding a Shadow to a Cut-Out Image

This is super simple now that Canva has added the shadow feature (it works for all images- stock photos or ones you upload!)

For this example, I’ll use both! First, you’ll add whatever image you want to use. If it’s not already cut-out you can use pixlr.com, remove.bg or one of the many online sources for removing backgrounds.

==> If you have Canva Pro just use their free background remover!

Next, you’ll click on “Effects” and choose the shadow you wish to apply.

Note: If you’ve never used shadows, you’ll find it under the “you may like” section and Canva will walk you through the integration (It’s easy, you’ll just click a button that says “connect”)

From there, you can click on the shadow button again to open up more options.

You can also choose from different kinds of shadows! For the second image, I chose to add a drop shadow.

Of course, if you’re looking to give an image like a cover design or one of your printable pages a shadow, you can do that inside Canva using the same method but if you’d like to how it’s done check out this post!

Trick #6: Create a project with more than 100 pages

It’s time to throw a party!!! Canva 2.0 now has a NEW PAGE LIMIT of 100 pages!!! Finally, you can create a document with more than 30 pages!!

But- what if your project exceeds 100 pages?

Don’t panic! Simply start a new project, use copy and paste to move over your layout for consistency, and then keep going.

As a mac user, I use ‘Preview’ to merge my pages. (Don’t worry, I’ll talk about PC users in one minute!)

Simply open each document in preview. If you don’t already see the thumbnail views on the side, go to “View” and choose “Thumbnails”

Next, drag and drop the pages you want to add from the second document into the first one.

If you want to select multiple pages you can do this by clicking on the first one, holding shift and then clicking on the second.

This will select all the pages in between and you can drag and drop all of them at once.

You can also reorder pages by dragging and dropping the thumbnails in the order that you want.

For PC users, there is this awesome free online tool called ilovepdf.com.

You do NOT have to download anything to your computer and it is 100% free. Simply upload both of your documents and then choose the “merge PDF” option.

Side note: I often use ilovepdf for turning PDFs from courses I take into word documents so that I can type right in the document.

There are so many simple Canva Design Tips & Tricks!

I love figuring out those little hacks, and there are so many more I could literally spend all day doing this!

If you’re looking to learn ALL the Canva tricks as well as in-depth lessons, design lessons, and lessons on how to design social media graphics and printables, check out my Confidently Canva course.

New to Canva? Click here to get started (it’s free!)

Don’t forget to download our Canva Tricks Cheatsheet now!! Just click right here for access to our Design Vault where you can get this cheatsheet and tons of other design resources

GET ACCESS TO THE CANVA TRICKS CHEATSHEET

Multiple Pins: A Guide To Creating and Uploading Pinterest Content For Traffic

April 7, 2020 by Simplifying DIY Design 1 Comment

Let’s talk about the benefit of making multiple pins that will drive traffic to your blog posts, products, lead magnets, and more.

Pins are such a great way to get a quick win and so easy to accomplish! We will also talk about different things we can drive traffic to, the tech aspects of uploading a pin to Pinterest, and recommendations on branding and Pinterest.

I learned pretty quickly that Pinterest was the quickest way to get traffic to my blog.

It didn’t stop there though, I thought “If I can make a pin for a post, I can make a pin for anything!”

Then the recommendation to make multiple pins came out and it was like a light bulb. We all know Pinterest likes new content and it was so overwhelming to think that the only way I’d succeed with Pinterest is to be pumping out new posts every day.

That was not going to happen with my business model or the time that I had to work on my blog while being a stay-at-home parent to two kiddos.

Want to save this post? Pin it for later!!

Find out exactly why it's SO important that you create and upload multiple pins for your blog posts and landing pages so you can drive more traffic and generate more money online!

When I learned that Pinterest still counts new DESIGNS as new content I literally did a happy dance. Win-win! I could make pretty designs and get more traffic and make Pinterest happy all at once.

Well, I LIKE to design and I still found it time-consuming to be constantly trying to make new pins, which is when the Mega Pin Creators Ultimate Bundle came to be (yes, I use my own Canva pin templates ALL THE TIME).

But more than that, I learned that I needed to be really strategic about the things I was sending traffic to.

Did my post do a good job of getting people in my funnel?

Did my pin have a high ROI (in other words, did I see a return on investment– did I make a sale or land a new lead?)

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s dive into the basics.

Why Make Multiple Pins?

Well, as I mentioned, it’s an easy way to create “new” content on Pinterest without actually having to create a new blog post. I’m not saying stop creating blog posts, but some seasons of blogging (like during a launch or creating a digital product) can become overwhelming if you’re trying to do all the things.

That being said, there are some other reasons why you may want to create multiple pins for not only your blog posts but your landing pages as well:

You never know what might grab someone, switching up the design and rewording the title just a bit could be the difference between a failed pin and a viral one
It’s a great way to revive a old post especially if you’ve recently updated it
It increases the number of times your content is on Pinterest which means more eyes and more potential for clicks (aka: traffic!)

How do you upload multiple pins to Pinterest?

There are a few different options here so I’ll break each one down:

Uploading Directly to Pinterest

You don’t always have to put the pins you create in your blog post, you can upload them directly to Pinterest.

I mainly upload directly to Pinterest when I’m uploading pins I’ve created for my opt-ins and products but it’s an option for those that don’t want to load too many images in their post for site speed considerations.

I like to get creative and go off-brand with the pins I upload right to Pinterest. I experiment with different colors, fonts, titles and styles. You never know what’s going to take off so it’s a great way to test different things.

Pro-Tip: Create a spreadsheet to analyze the pins that do well for you! Do you notice a common word in your title? Do you notice the color palette is more bright, warm, or anything else that’s similar between your well-performing pins? Do more of what works!

To upload directly to Pinterest, you’ll click on “Create” and choose “Create a pin”

how to upload a pin directly to pinterest

Then you’ll upload your image, title, and all the information as directed by Pinterest in the appropriate spot:

Uploading to Your Blog Post

I choose to upload my other pin options to the bottom of my post. I usually don’t go beyond 3 in the actual post but I’ll add the new images to the bottom and include a CTA (call to action) and ask people to save the article by pinning it.

I find the best way to get people to pin is by:

Making the pin visible- if there’s no visible image in your post then people will not think to pin it
Asking them! The best way to get people to take ANY action is by asking!

Once I get to the point of 3 or more pins I’ll start “hiding them”.

To upload your pin directly to your blog post, simply add a new block, and choose image. From there, you can upload directly or add it from your media library.

uploading an image to your blog post in WordPress

Hiding Your Pin in Your Blog Post

People tend to choose this option for a couple of reasons:

They want a pinnable image that can be shared but it’s a landing page or sales page so the pin image wouldn’t make sense on the actual page
They don’t want to clutter up their post with tons of pins

Instead of pinning directly to Pinterest, where it will go off into the Pinterest universe, this option allows people to continually pin it from your actual post.

When they click on your share button, the image will come up as an option but they won’t see it in your post. I do not recommend doing this to ALL your pins because, as I said earlier, it’s easier for people to remember to pin when they see an image to pin!

If you need more help with learning how to hide your pin, check out this helpful article I found from Tracie Fobes!

The other option for hiding your pin is by using plugins such as Grow by MediaVine or Social Pug.

Let’s talk about all the different things you can pin!

I created a list of the different types of pins you could create for your blog!

Blog posts
Resource pages (sometimes called recommendation pages where you put links to affiliate resources or related posts)
Shop pages (Etsy, Shopify, etc)
Individual product pages (sales pages, or product pages on Etsy or Shopify)
Opt-in pages (this is how people scale their funnels.. opt-in page –> tripwire –> email value sequence –> email sales funnel)
Sales pages
Affiliate products (yes, you can create pins for your affiliate products (most affiliate programs allow this) and then add your affiliate link to the pin on Pinterest as long as you follow FTC guidelines and include the fact that it’s an affiliate link in the description)
Facebook groups
Facebook posts or videos (especially if you’re running ads that get shown to people who have seen your videos)
Case study articles
Pre-launch content such as a sign-up for a webinar, challenge, or masterclass

Designing a pin inside of Canva in three easy steps!

It’s SO easy to use a platform like Canva to design your pins, it can take just MINUTES! If you haven’t signed up for Canva yet, get started by clicking here!

Step one: set your dimensions for your pin design.

I like to use 1000×1500. This is a 2:3 ratio that Pinterest prefers but the overall image is larger in size so when it’s uploaded to the Pinterest platform it’s less likely to suffer in image quality when compressed by Pinterest.

Step two: Next you’ll add an image related to your post topic. You can search tons of images right inside of Canva!

Step three: Next, click on “Elements” and choose shapes and other elements as the base for your title text!

Step four: Add your headline text! Make sure it inspires people to click to your post by piquing curiosity, promising a transformation, or using hot words like “easy” or “free” — think of things that YOU click on. For example, I’m much more likely to click on:

“The Most Amazing Cheeseburger Casserole” or “The Easiest Cheeseburger Casserole Your Whole Family Will Love”

Vs.

“How to Make a Cheeseburger Casserole”

Don’t forget to add your logo or blog URL at the bottom of your pin. There are lots of things you can do to help your pin stand out– get creative!

If you’d like a jumping-off point when it comes to pin design, check out my templates! The Mega Pin Creator Bundle is a bundle of 60 Pinterest templates. My DiyDesign Creators Vault is a membership program that gives you brand new designs every single month to help you stay ahead of your content creation! You can also try out some of my free designs inside my Design Library!

Let’s wrap up with a list of my best pin tips!

Make multiple pins per post. Not just to your blog posts but also multiple pins for your landing pages, opt-in offers, sales pages, Etsy shops, Shopify stores, Facebook groups.. whatever you want to drive traffic to– put it on Pinterest.. a lot and repeatedly over time.

You can add multiple pins to your posts a few different ways. You can add them to your blog post (sometimes I put them at the bottom of my post) you can use a plugin that allows you to hide the image, you can use code to hide the image, or you can upload the pin directly to Pinterest. I like them at the bottom of my post (at least 1-2) because when people SEE the image, it’s triggered in their mind to pin it– and it also helps to specifically ask them to do so. I NEVER think to pin something on a blog posts I’m reading if I don’t see a pin graphic.

Mix up titles. Your WordPress headlines and the headline on your pin do not need to match. You still need to deliver on what the pin says so make sure it’s relevant. That being said, play the game of “how many times can I say the same thing” because honestly, you don’t know what’s going to take off on Pinterest or catch the attention of your target pin users. (another reason for having some extra pins at the bottom of your post)

Images matter, the photos you pick matter because Pinterest has image recognition and will categorize your pin based on the photo. So if it’s irrelevant your pin might be improperly categorized and not shown to the right people.

Keywords matter. Not just ON your pin graphics but the descriptions, headlines, boards, and even your profile page.

Experiment— you will never find what works and be able to do more of that thing unless your constantly testing and tweaking. Do a lot of different styles, mix up titles, colors, fonts, layouts– see what works and then do more.

Photos should be bright, clear, and have warm color accents (red, orange, yellow). Try to find close up images and avoid faces.

Don’t get hung up on replicating. Sometimes a pin takes off and you can try to design other pins exactly the same way and you can’t replicate the success. This happens and it’s ok, sometimes it’s really hard to pinpoint the thing that causes something to take off.

It’s ok to go off-brand on Pinterest and it’s ok to go off-brand for seasonal content. I like to create at least one really branded pin for my “best of” board and for the post itself.. the other pins I just experiment with.

New content doesn’t always mean a new post. When I don’t have time to write a new post, I make a new pin instead.

Clean, simple, easy-to-read words are best. Forget the 20% text rule (this is a graphic design concept that says only 20% or less of the image should be text– this is a rule Facebook follows as well) sometimes the best pins on Pinterest are pins with almost the entire pin being a big, easy to read title. Likely due to majority of users being on mobile devices.

Don’t give away the farm with your pin. If it’s a list post, don’t put every single product on the pin- I wouldn’t need to click through to find out what’s on the list! Don’t give away the content of your post by the images you choose. Try to find something that makes people curious without being too clickbaity or irrelevant for the sake of clicks.

Speaking of clickbaity– it’s kind of “ok” when it comes to Pinterest. NEVER be clickbaity to the point of your pin title not even being somewhat related to the post, but it’s definitely worth writing titles that create curiosity and spark emotions.

Always solve a problem with your pin/post and try to word your title so that it includes a transformation or promise.

Google Analytics is your friend. You’ll be able to find out what pin is sending traffic and keep it going. You’ll also be able to look back and see which pins did great last year– re-pin them and design more for the particular post.

Pin creation doesn’t have to be hard— templates are a great jumping-off point 😉

If you’d like to check out my Mega Pin Creators Bundle which is a bundle of 60 pin designs, click here! If you’re constantly making new content and new pins you may want to check out the DiyDesign Creators Vault which will give you new pins and other templates every single month. The templates in this membership are themed and designed to help you stay ahead of content trends so that you can create the right content before people are searching for it!

New to templates and want to try them out? Sign up for my free design library where you’ll get templates for pins, video pins, worksheets, ebooks and more! Just click the button below for access!

CLICK HERE TO GET ACCESS TO THE FREE DESIGN LIBRARY

Digital Product Launch Graphics You Need to Create

January 21, 2020 by Simplifying DIY Design Leave a Comment

In this article, you’ll learn exactly what product launch graphics to create for your next promotion!

Have you grabbed the Product Creators QuickStart Kit yet? Just sign up below and you’ll get my checklist, cheatsheet, and Canva design template for free so you can get started creating a digital product for your blog!

GET YOUR QUICKSTART KIT NOW!

Over the past three years I’ve helped bloggers design and launch digital products. I’ve designed and launched dozens of my OWN digital products and I’ve done launches, flash sales.. pretty much ALL the promotions.

I’ve tested and tweaked and learn so much about marketing. I’ve taken all of that knowledge and combined it with my graphic design background to create a product creation system.

Within that system, I teach about product design itself and also the design of promotional graphics. In this article, I’d like to go over the different types of graphics that you can create to promote your launch!

The 3-D Mockup or Preview Image

Show people what you’ve created with a 3-D mockup. I’ve put together a quick video tutorial on how to put together the whole image.

Mockups are important because they can give people a better sense of what your digital product is and if the graphic is visually appealing, it will work to grab their attention and increase conversions.

People tend to put less value on digital products because it’s not a tangible thing, it’s not something they can hold in their hands.

I know your content rocks, so present it that way visually!

If you present the product in 3-D mockup, people will be able to visualize better what it really is. Plus, make sure to always present the fact that it’s digital as a positive thing. There’s no shipping costs and they get it immediately! No snail mail!

The Promotional Graphics

Before you determine exactly what promotional graphics you’ll need- you’ll first need a launch plan. How in depth are you going to go? Is it a pre-sale or baby seed launch where you are only going to put it out to your email list for beta testers or are you going all out and selling it to the world?

How about pre-launch? Are you going to offer some sort of free training, webinar, or other list-building technique prior to the launch? Because you’ll need graphics for that too.

Here are some promotional graphics you may need to consider:

Free training or webinar promotion
Launch bonuses promotion (if offering bonuses to buyers)
Early bird or time-sensitive offers
Facebook images/ads for both the free training ad the actual product
Pinterest images/ads for both the free training and the actual product
Social media headers (yep, you’ll want to switch your header to something promotional during your launch)

The great thing is that you can create all of these using free design programs like Canva!

Keep in mind that if you have affiliates, you’ll want to give them access to some or all of these graphics for their own promotions leading up to and during your launch. I sent my affiliates an email with a google doc folder with my promo images.

Side note: The Product Creators Ultimate Toolbox contains done-for-you templates for every single one of these designs PLUS the affiliate center templates, sales page copy, sales launch copy, and so much more. It’s an entire product design and launch plan that’s been “templatized” for you so you can customize to every product you create.

Free training or webinar

I resisted this at first because I was afraid to put myself out there. I’m an introvert and don’t like being on video.

But I KNEW I had to put myself out there when it came to launching. If I didn’t, I was only hurting myself. Pre-launch is really important and in some cases can make or break your whole launch.

WANT TO REMEMBER THIS POST FOR LATER? PIN IT TO YOUR FAVORITE BOARD! ⬇

When I was ready for my first launch, I came up with a challenge that incorporated video training. As you have probably heard me say a million times: success only comes with implementation.

Since I was selling Canva templates, I wanted people to use them so they can discover the true awesome-ness that *is* done-for-you, professionally designed templates. I knew once people got a little sample, they would see the benefits for themselves.

They would discover how much of a time-saver they could be, they would see the difference between their current graphics and the ones they could create with my templates.

But I wanted people to learn too.

Value, value, value.

And it paid off because the response I got was seriously mind-blowing.

Not only were people signing up left and right (seriously, I was about to grow my list by 339 new subscribers over 4 days)– this was without the use of Facebook ads.

People continued signing up all week! Even though unsubscribe rates are a bit higher during a product launch (that’s totally normal and OK) I still ended launch week with over 400+ subscribers I didn’t have prior. So I urge you to give this a shot! It’s fun and so worth it.

But again, you’ll need to create the graphics for it– which includes:

Slide decks for the training/webinar portion (BTW there’s a slide deck template in the Essential Template Pack for Launching a Product at the end of this post! It’ll be the fastest webinar you’ll ever design!)
Any actionable items to go along with the training– workbooks, worksheets, checklists, etc.
Promo images (as listed above)

I recorded my training by downloading the slide decks as a PDF and opening them in full-screen mode. I used a screen record program called Capto (for mac) and also edited and downloaded the video using Capto.

Videos

Videos are a big part of the visual world that is social media today. During a product launch or even a flash sale promotion, there are usually a few different ways I use video

Facebook lives (and promoted them with a graphic)
Promotional videos of my product
Convert product-centered blog posts into video using Animoto or Lumen5

This is in addition, of course, to any video training or sales page videos.

I personally am not a fan of being in front of the camera. However, when I started Simplifying DIY Design (not my first blog) I promised myself I’d put myself out there more because I knew if I didn’t, then I wouldn’t succeed.

Even if it was scary.

Even if I didn’t want to do it.

Even if I was going to lose sleep over it.

And I did it, and I’ve never turned back.

The graphics matter.

Launches are scary. I’m going to be honest. I got very little sleep the few weeks I was working on this launch.

Side note: giving yourself 3 weeks to plan, create, and implement a launch– even if you already have your product done– is pushing it. #askmehowiknow

What if I did all this work and no one bought it? What if I cut back client work and decreased my income and it didn’t pay off? What if I put it out there, people bought it and it didn’t help?

These were the things that kept me up. These were the things that made me want to give up.

But I kept pushing.

Because if it was easy then I wasn’t pushing hard enough, right?

I promise you, it was so completely worth it. Every single second was worth it.

But the graphics matter. I honestly didn’t have all of the above prepared before my first launch🤦‍♀️. I didn’t even think of half of the graphics I listed above!

But readers asked for preview images, affiliates asked for promo graphics, potential buyers asked for videos. So I created them and learned from it and made sure to pay attention to what was working and what wasn’t.

Because it’s extremely time-consuming and almost overwhelming at times, I made sure to have templates for every single design I needed to do so that I could save time.

Additional Resources:

Easy 4-Step Framework For Creating and Launching A Successful Digital Product (Free Masterclass Training!)
Product Design Planner

Don’t forget to grab the Product Creators QuickStart Kit! Just sign up below and you’ll get my checklist, cheatsheet, and Canva design template for free so you can get started creating a digital product for your blog!